Teen Victim’s Sister Pleads For Peace

Daily Jackson’s sister Dalonna called for young New Haveners who are mourning her late brother’s homicide to not retaliate, because all city teens ​“have a lot to live for.”

Dalonna offered that call for peace Thursday evening as she and dozens of family, friends, and community leaders gathered at the basketball courts near Lincoln Bassett School at sunset to celebrate her brother’s memory, and to pray for a stop to gun violence. 

The gathering took place two days after Daily Jackson, a 17-year-old Riverside Academy student, was shot and killed on Shelton Avenue. Daily’s death came less than two weeks after the homicide of his friend and Riverside classmate, 16-year-old Uzziah Shell, who was shot dead near Goffe and Hudson streets in the Dixwell neighborhood on Nov. 22. The police chief has said officers are concerned about acts of retaliation following Jackson’s and Shell’s homicides, especially given ongoing feuds between youth crews around town.

On Thursday, loved ones brought white and blue balloons, some spelling out Daily’s name, or ​“DJ.” Large framed photos also showed Daily, known to many as ​“Buster,” as a toddler and dressed up for a prom he attended last year.

Click here to view a video recording of Thursday’s balloon release. 

Daily’s family, including his godparents Jill and Scott Marks, organized the Thursday memorial gathering alongside his sisters and aunts to remind fellow New Haven youth that there are opportunities for them to stay out of trouble in the city. ​“This is not the answer. You don’t have to die for no reason, you have a lot to live for. I need every last one of you that was connected to Daily, connected to me, connected to my family, to keep going, go for your dreams. Be who you are, don’t try to be like everyone else,” Dalonna told the dozens of young people who attended on Thursday. 

Dixwell/Newhallville/Prospect Hill Alder Troy Streater, standing alongside fellow alders, told the group that New Haveners ​“have to stop senseless killing” because nothing is gained from it.

Community gun violence prevention advocate Sean Reeves encouraged youth to visit him at his print shop at 266 Dixwell Ave. as a means to remove themselves from the streets and to share what opportunities they are interested in to bring them to New Haven to help change their lives. 

LaQuvia Jones, the mother of two homicide victims, asked the adults to circle around the teens and young adults in attendance as she prayed. Loved ones embraced one another and held each other up while shedding tears and lighting candles in memory of Daily. 

“If we don’t show them love, how can they love each other? If we don’t show them love, how do they value they own lives, when we don’t value their lives?” she said to the adults. 

To the youth she said, ​“It’s never ever too late to white flag it. It’s never ever too late to say, ​‘No, I’m not picking up a gun.’ ” 

She concluded by instructing the group to turn to the person next to them and tell them: ​“I need you to survive.”

“You don’t have to retaliate for Daily. It stops with you guys in the center. Your life is valuable,” Jones said. 

Gun violence prevention advocate Remidy Shareef also told the group, ​“If you want out streets, tell us. If you go retaliate you’re just as guilty as the people that got us here today.” 

Dalonna told the Independent Thursday that one of the last memories she had of her brother was him calling her while she was at work and asking if she could buy him an iPad for Christmas this year. She recalled him telling her ​“you’re my rich sister,” and so she promised to get him an iPad. 

Daily’s oldest sister Curnijah Howard told the Independent ​“My brother was such a loving gentle person. I just pray that we get justice for what they did to him. No matter what picture people tried to paint.”

Other family members described Daily as kind and a jokester who was always willing to help others. Local pastor John Cotton described Daily as like a nephew to him. He recalled Daily’s talent playing the drums and the help he brought to New Hope Church on Butler Street when the Covid pandemic caused the schools to close. Cotton recalled Daily riding his bike around the neighborhood to round up kids to bring to the church, which served as a learning hub for family needing support with remote learning. Daily would help tutor the students at the church learning hub. 

Daily’s best friend, Corey, told the Independent he met Daily in seventh grade while the two attended Beecher. ​“He was always there to talk to and tell everything,” Corey said. 

The two had plans to go out of town to celebrate the new year.